One in ten Norwegian children have poor eyesight

Little girl wearing glasses. Photo: Jan Haas / NTB scanpix Foto: MODELLKLARERT

One in ten Norwegian children have poor eyesight

One in ten Norwegian children between 7 and 15 years need glasses, contact lenses or visual training. This according to a survey conducted by the University College of Southeastern Norway (Høgskolen i Sørøst Norge).

 

If the visual defects are not detected and treated, it can have serious consequences, says Associate Professor at the Institute of Optometry and Visual Science at the University College of South East Norway, Gro Horgen Vikesdal.

– Children who have impaired eyesight may choose to avoid leisure activities and may even have problems in school.

In the worst cases, we see children who have gone through many school years without having received basic lessons in reading and writing. This because they have had an undiscovered visual error, Vikedal tells the funded news agency Newswire. Newswire has published the case on behalf of the Norwegian Opticians Association.

Apart from the obligatory check-up at the age of four, parents are primarily responsible to discover if their children have visual impairments.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today